Yay! I am not TOO late in getting our trip to the beach on the blog - impressive, right? I am sure there are some other items I need to catch up on, but at least I have gone through all these pictures and gotten them loaded here! So with that said, beware - there are a lot of pictures here (I know you're surprised, right?)! We went to the beach with some friends of mine from college - it was a family friendly trip so all the kiddos came...and even Sadie got to go (a perk of being with the owners)! We headed to Grayton Beach and stayed in a beautiful home with great friends - doesn't get much better! The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and it was just so nice to get back to the coast!
Day One
Drive day! Katie watched FOUR movies on the way down and Jack did a pretty good job hanging out in the carseat.
I always love seeing this sign - means that we are almost there!
And we arrived! This was mine and Brad's room for our time there - beautiful...and the bed was so comfy!
After unloading the car, we all changed really quickly and walked to Red Bar for dinner - we went early since there was a larger crew of us. Here are the "big kids" at dinner...I hope we have the same picture in 10 years and that they are all buddies!
And then this guy - can't leave him out!
And a family picture in front of the restaurant!
And then the walk back to the house - how amazing is it that we stayed maybe a block from Red Bar!!
When we got back to the house, we went swimming and relaxed. It was fun visiting over a few drinks once the kids went to bed too!
Day Two
The kiddos were up bright and early on our first full day at the beach - I was pretty eager to get to the beach, so I didn't complain too much :) And look at how happy these two are...LOVE this picture!
After breakfast and some lounging, we all got ready to head to the beach. This little lady looked pretty cute...
And a picture of me with the kiddos - I think my lens was kinda foggy after going from the AC into the heat and humidity! We were all smiles though!
She couldn't wait to get in the water! There is a lake that goes right up near the ocean - it was perfect! It is shallow so the kids had a great time playing in it! But that explains the color of the water - the mix of fresh and salt water makes the brackish water :)
There is the lake directly behind Katie with the ocean just past it...amazing!
Jack absolutely loved it all too - so glad he is past the point of putting all the sand in his mouth - he toddled around and splashed in the water and played with toys! I think he is going to love the beach as much as the rest of us!
Then it was time for a snack break :)
Later that afternoon, we went back to the beach to get our stuff before it rained. I love this picture of me and Katie. We even took Sadie down to the beach this time - she LOVES it!
After waking up early and having a full day of fun, this girl fell asleep with all the lights on, door open, and me walking in and out...she also sleeps like Brad...see her left eye slightly open?? HA!
Day Three
This is the view off of the front of the deck - sun rising over the lake!
And here is a view off the side - the beautiful beach!
And my friend Haleigh got this picture of me snuggling with my favorites that morning - so sweet!
After some snuggles and breakfast and putting the suits and sunscreen on, we were headed back to the beach! Look at how smooth the water was!
Jack was patiently waiting on us to take him out of his stroller so he could splash and play!
And here are Katie, Hunt, and Drew - the "big kids"...so fun that Katie gets so know my friends from college and their families! And I absolutely LOVE this picture of the three of them!
And this was a "Yay! We're at the beach!!" picture :)
Katie was ready for some more fun!
Our spot for the day was pretty perfect!
Jack had a blast exploring - look at that smile!
He loved splashing and running and plopping down into the water!
This was the view during snacktime - all the kiddos sitting under the tent! All you could hear was "crunch, crunch, crunch" :)
Monday night we went to Seaside and ate at The Great Southern Cafe - I think it is my favorite down there. And the kiddos matched! :) This was the best picture I could get of them - they were both hot and hungry!
I think this is a neat picture - he was obviously on Brad's shoulders :)
Me with The Dude :)
And me with both of the cuties!
Haleigh took this of the crew at dinner - Brad was trying to hide behind Wyspr!
Once she got some food in her belly, she was more cooperative :)
This boy ate like a horse that night!
Love this of Brad with both of the kids!
We got ice cream after dinner and the kids ran around and had races - as if they needed something to wear them out more!
And a family picture - love it!
Day Four
Sadie had the best time at the beach - always someone to pet her and play with her, she got to swim, go to the beach, run around...the only thing she had to get used to was only having sand/rocks instead of grass to find "the spot" :)
The kids were under the table on the deck doing a puzzle!
And then it was beach time! The water was absolutely beautiful!
The kiddos used the nets to try to catch the little fish swimming around the lake...
Katie thought that was the neatest thing! She loved using the net!
Our spot! It was so nice to have the "beach buggy" to take things from the house to the beach and back.
Is that water not unbelievable?! It was absolutely amazing!
She wanted to go out in the water on Brad's shoulders :) So cute!
One of my favorites from the trip...I could have stayed in that water forever...except when we saw the stingray swim by....
And then Brad got in on the fishing fun...Katie wanted to hold all the fish! They were teeny and she loved them!
Me and my girl with our fun hats on!
Brad took Katie on a long ride - he paddled them back to the house and then back out to the beach!
Jack wanted in on the fun too :) He sat still the whole time and just looked around!
After a little more playtime, we headed back to the house for lunch and quiet/naptime. Then it was to the pool for the kids! LOVE this picture of Katie!
Brad was determined to get Sadie in the water - she never did jump in off the side though!
Jack really loves the water - he kicks his legs better than some 2 or 3 year olds...and we would give him a push toward the other and he swam under water to us (kicking his legs and we would get him out, but he would get to us!)...and then Katie of course loves the water.
Jason did a Low Country Boil for dinner - it was delicious! Potatoes, corn, sausage, shrimp...delicious! And we ate out by the pool!
Doesn't that look relaxing? They were actually taking turns getting "zoomed around the pool" in it!
CANNONBALL!!!!!
Brad was jumping with Hunt and Katie! Love it!
Katie and Hunt jumped in together probably like 15 times! So sweet!
The pool area is amazing...great pool, plenty of space to lounge...amazing!
These two were exhausted!
And a picture of Haleigh, me, and Wyspr! I am sure I have a picture like this from when we were in college somewhere... :)
Day Five
And the last day - the drive home. Yuck. I never like leaving the beach. Especially when we have had such an amazing trip. It was nice to let the kids swim with everybody while Brad and I packed the car. Wore them out and we could get it done much more quickly! It was also helpful to have the elevator (our room was on the 3rd level) to help take everything down! Before we left, we got one last family pic - love it!
The only reason Katie was alright with leaving was because she got to watch more movies on the way home!
This guy did fairly well - he kept getting hungry...and then tired, and then he was just ready to get outta the car!
Katie made sure that Sadie was ready for the drive home :)
Goodbye, fabulous house! And a fun sidenote...while we were there, we found out that Luke Bryan stayed at the house the week before we got down there. Pretty cool, huh!
And a collage from the drive home - Jack slept for maybe 30 minutes, I got bored so I took pictures of myself, and Katie watched another 4 movies on the way home :)
What a fabulous trip. It was so great to be with super friends...and at the beach...doesn't get much better. Can't wait to do it again soon!
